Then tech support told me I should completely uninstall and reinstall the firewall and turn off training mode before running my tests, so I did. I found that peculiar, since this type of training typically relates to application control. Webroot tech support's explanation was that the firewall was still in its initial training mode. My very first port scan test showed that the critical computer port 135 was wide open, and a couple of less frequently used ports were closed but not stealthed. You have to make the choice yourself.Īs always, I tested the firewall's ability to hide a computer from attack by hackers. However, WDF doesn't automatically choose a profile by recognizing the current network. You can also define distinct profiles for three different networks, characterized as Home, Office, and Remote. Like ZoneAlarm's firewall (and many other firewalls), WDF uses stricter settings for the local network than for your Internet connection. As noted, it remains completely separate from the antivirus/antispyware component, so you need to do two separate installations. At present, however, it's available at a promotional price of $0.
Webroot distributes the Webroot Desktop Firewall (WDF)-powered by technology from PrivacyWare-as a standalone product for $19.95. For more details about this side of the product, see my earlier review of Spy Sweeper with AntiVirus 5.5.- Next: Webroot's Firewall-the Expected While the product's antivirus gets awards from the independent testing labs, its antispyware side is better at removing already installed malware than it is at keeping clean systems uninfected. Here again the suites have progressed while WAV hasn't. Panda limped in with 3.6, and Norton Internet Security 2008 blocked all the samples for 10 out of 10. On a parallel test using commercial keyloggers instead of malware, both SSAV (and, therefore, WAV) and Spyware Doctor scored 7.1. That figure had better improve going forward: On the same test, Spyware Doctor scored 9.8 and Panda got a perfect 10. When I tested its ability to keep malware off a clean system, SSAV scored 8.1 of 10, and this result applies equally to the current WAV. The BHO Shield, ActiveX Shield, and various other modules contribute to protection as needed. Execution Shield blocks malware when it tries to launch, and File System Shield blocks copying of malware-related files to disk. Internet Communication Shield blocks all access to known malware-hosting sites. WAV's numerous shield modules offer multiple layers of protection, blocking malware from installing on a clean system by catching it at different points in the process. And in this business, standing still means moving backwards. The big security suites have pumped up their spy-smashing skills, while WAV has stood still. You'll note that WAV doesn't stack up so well in some of these comparisons. Norton took the prize on this test, cleaning up every sample for 10 points out of 10. Spyware Doctor got 7.9, and Panda, just 2.1. On a parallel test using commercial keyloggers, WAV scored just 6.3, despite having a shield module devoted specifically to keyloggers. Spyware Doctor 5.0 with AntiVirus eked out 9.1 on the same test, Norton Internet Security 2008 managed 9.3, and Panda Internet Security 2008 aced the test, getting 10 out of 10. With these settings in place, it removed almost all of malware samples from my test systems, scoring 9.0 out of a possible 10.
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You'll want to enable rootkit detection in the Full Sweep and turn on the Keylogger shield. WAV still doesn't have all its protective settings turned on by default. Now both West Coast Labs and ICSA Labs have certified the product for virus detection and removal, and it has also received the VB100% award from Virus Bulletin. At the time of my review of SSAV 5.5, West Coast Labs was in the process of analyzing Webroot's antivirus technology. Just to confirm, I did some spot-checking, selecting samples that had given SSAV 5.5 a bit of trouble. Webroot representatives assured me I wouldn't need to retest the product's ability to scour malware-infested systems and keep spotless systems clean.
The antivirus and antispyware portions of the program are completely unchanged since I reviewed SSAV 5.5 earlier this year, except, of course, for new malware signatures.
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